Schwarzenegger Appoints Forestry, Fire Heads
On June 25, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the appointments of Dale Geldert as director of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and Ruben Grijalva as state fire marshal.
Geldert, 61, most recently served as fire chief and deputy city manager for the City of Oceanside from 1992 to 2002. He was a State Forest Ranger II for the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection from 1988 to 1991 and county fire chief for Merced County from 1984 to 1988. Geldert was an international fire marshal and deputy fire chief for the U.S. Department of State from 1982 to 1984, city and district fire chief for the City of Vacaville from 1979 to 1982, and served in the Inglewood Fire Department for 12 years, reaching the position of battalion chief before departing in 1979. He earlier served as a member of the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, where he was chairman of the California Fire Protection Committee, and was chairman of the Firescope Northern Operations Committee.
Geldert earned an associate of arts in fire administration from Los Angeles Harbor College, a bachelor of arts in public administration from the University of Redlands and a master of public administration from the University of San Francisco.
Grijalva, 49, has served as the fire chief for the City of Palo Alto Fire Department since 1994, where he also previously served as assistant fire chief from 1990 to 1994. Grijalva served in the Department of Public Safety for the City of Sunnyvale from 1976 to 1990. During this period he held positions in both the police and fire divisions before serving as fire marshal from 1985 to 1990.
Grijalva is past president of the Fire Chiefs Department for the League of California Cities, past president of the Santa Clara County Fire Chief's Association and a former member of the Uniform Fire Code Committee for the International Fire Code Institute. He is a member of the California League of Cities, the California Fire Chiefs Association and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Grijalva has earned an associate of arts degree from San Jose City College and holds a number of peace officer standards and training certificates including advanced, supervisory and management.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is dedicated to the fire protection and stewardship of over 31 million acres of non-federal wildlands, responding to emergencies and protecting and enhancing forests, range lands and watersheds. For more information, see www.fire.ca.gov/php.
As part of CDF, the Office of the State Fire Marshal supports the CDF mission to protect life and property through fire prevention engineering programs, law and code enforcement and education. For more information, see osfm.fire.ca.gov.
